Purpose in Life, Physical Activity, and Future Thoughts
Author Information
Author(s): Lewis Nathan, Choi Yoonseok, Lay Jennifer, Graf Peter, Da Jiang, Mahmood Atiya, Fung Helene H, Hoppmann Christiane
Primary Institution: University of British Columbia
Hypothesis
Does a strong sense of purpose in life lead to more future-oriented thoughts and influence physical activity across adulthood?
Conclusion
Adults with a higher sense of purpose tend to think more about the future, but this does not necessarily lead to increased physical activity later on.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants completed electronic assessments 3 times a day for 10 days.
- A subset of participants reported their physical activity over the past week after 6 months.
- Multilevel models were used to analyze the data.
Takeaway
People who feel they have a purpose in life think more about the future, but just thinking about the future doesn't mean they will exercise more later.
Methodology
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to collect data from participants about their thoughts and physical activity.
Limitations
The study does not establish a causal relationship between future-oriented thoughts and physical activity.
Participant Demographics
Younger and older adults from Canada and Hong Kong, average age 48, 68% women.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.028
Confidence Interval
0.33–5.90
Statistical Significance
p=0.028
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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